ILLUMINATION OPTICAL DEVICE AND PROJECTION DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20090196036A1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Wada, Mitsuhiro, Sannohe, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 7,901,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/247
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0905 Dividing and/or superposing multiple light beams
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0972 Prisms prisms per se G02B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2013 Plural light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2026 Gas discharge type light sources, e.g. arcs
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2066 Reflectors in illumination beam in projection beam G03B21/28
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/208 Homogenising, shaping of the illumination light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3152 for shaping the light beam beam shaping per se G02B27/09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3164 using multiple light sources

Abstract

There are provided 2n (n is 2 or more) light sources 21a to 21d, 2n first collective optical systems composed of ellipsoidal mirrors 21a to 21d that are arranged so as to focus light beams emitted from the respective light sources, n first light combiner optical systems that are composed of prisms 23a and 23b, each having an isosceles triangular prism shape in cross section, and are arranged so as to synthesize exiting light beams from respective corresponding two of the first collective optical systems, second collective optical systems 26a and 26b arranged so as to focus exiting light beams from the respective first light combiner optical systems, a n/2 second light combiner optical system composed of a prism 27 having an isosceles triangular prism shape in cross section and arranged so as to synthesize exiting light beams from respective corresponding two of the second collective optical systems, and a third collective optical system 35 composed of a plurality of lenses and a plurality of lens arrays and arranged so as to allow exiting light beam from the second light combiner optical system to be incident thereon. The 2n first collective optical systems each have an optical axis substantially parallel to one another.

Claims

1. An illumination optical device comprising:

2n (n is 2 or more) light sources;

2n first collective optical systems composed of ellipsoidal mirrors that are arranged so as to focus light beams emitted from the respective light sources;

n first light combiner optical systems that are composed of prisms, each having an isosceles triangular prism shape in cross section, and are arranged so as to synthesize exiting light beams from respective corresponding two of the first collective optical systems;

second collective optical systems arranged so as to focus exiting light beams from the respective first light combiner optical systems;

a n/2 second light combiner optical system composed of a prism having an isosceles triangular prism shape in cross section and arranged so as to synthesize exiting light beams from respective corresponding two of the second collective optical systems; and

a third collective optical system composed of a plurality of lenses and a plurality of lens arrays and arranged so as to allow exiting light beam from the second light combiner optical system to be incident thereon, wherein the 2n first collective optical systems each have an optical axis substantially parallel to one another.

2. The illumination optical device according to claim 1, wherein each of the second collective optical systems is composed of at least one lens.

3. The illumination optical device according to claim 1, wherein a first focal length f_E1 and a second focal length f_E2 of an ellipsoid of each of the first collective optical systems satisfy a relationship expressed by the following Formula (1)

8≦

f_E2/f_E1≦

11 

 

(1).

4. The illumination optical device according to claim 2, wherein the lens as each of the second collective optical systems is composed of two lenses, i.e., an entrance-side lens on which the light beam from each of the first light combiner optical systems is incident and an exit-side lens from which the light beam exits, each being a positive lens and having an effective aperture and a focal length substantially equal to each other.

5. The illumination optical device according to claim 4, wherein the two lenses are of substantially equal shape to each other.

6. The illumination optical device according to claim 4, wherein the two lenses are aspherical lenses for amending a spherical aberration.

7. The illumination optical device according to claim 6, wherein an aspherical shape of each of the two lenses is ellipsoidal.

8. The illumination optical device according to claim 1,

wherein an optical axis of each of the 2n first collective optical systems that exits from each of the second collective optical systems is substantially parallel to an optical axis of each of the second collective optical systems,

the optical axis of each of the first collective optical systems that is reflected by each of the first light combiner optical systems intersects the optical axis of each of the second collective optical systems in a plane including a normal line to a reflecting surface of each of the first light combiner optical systems and the optical axis of each of the first collective optical systems, and

L1 and L2 satisfy a relationship expressed by the following Formula (2), where L1 is a distance from a point of intersection of the optical axis of each of the first collective optical systems and the optical axis of each of the second collective optical systems to a midpoint between a light incident surface and a light exiting surface of each of the second collective optical systems, and L2 is a distance from the point of intersection of the optical axis of each of the first collective optical systems and the optical axis of each of the second collective optical systems to a position where the optical axis of each of the first collective optical systems that is reflected by each of the first light combiner optical systems intersects the optical axis of each of the second collective optical systems

L1/3≦

L2≦

L1 

 

(2).

9. The illumination optical device according to claim 8, wherein L2 and L3 satisfy relationships expressed by the following Formulas (3), where L3 is a distance between a position where the optical axis of each of the first collective optical systems is reflected by each of the first light combiner optical systems and the optical axis of each of the second collective optical systems

L3/L2=tan θ

5°

≦

θ

≦

20°

 

 

(3).

10. The illumination optical device according to claim 9, wherein the distance L3 satisfies the following Formula (4)

1.2 mm≦

L3≦

5 mm (4).

11. The illumination optical device according to claim 1, wherein the third collective optical system is composed of a first positive lens, a first lens array, a second lens array, a second positive lens, and a third positive lens that are arranged in this order from a light incident side.

12. The illumination optical device according to claim 11, wherein the second lens array is composed of microlenses, each having a different aperture shape so as to allow images of all the plurality of light sources to be formed efficiently in accordance with a size of the image of each of the light sources at each position.

13. The illumination optical device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the prisms as the first light combiner optical systems and the second light combiner optical system has a dielectric multilayer mirror on a light incident surface, and

the dielectric multilayer mirror is formed of a multilayer film in which a SiO₂ layer as a low refractive index layer and a Ta₂O₅ layer or a layer of a mixture of Ta₂O₅ and TiO₂ as a high refractive index layer are laminated alternately.

14. The illumination optical device according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first collective optical systems, each of the second collective optical systems, and the third collective optical system satisfy a relationship expressed by the following Formula (5)

(D₁/f₁)=(D₂/f₂)=(D₃/f₃) 

 

(5).

where D₁ denotes an effective diameter of an aperture of each of the ellipsoidal mirrors as the first collective optical systems on a light exiting side,

f₁ denotes a distance from an aperture surface of each of the ellipsoidal mirrors on the light exiting side to a surface on which the light beam emitted from each of the light sources is focused in the smallest size,

D₂ denotes an effective aperture of each of the entrance-side lens and the exit-side lens composing each of the second collective optical systems,

f₂ denotes a focal length of each of the entrance-side lens and the exit-side lens,

D₃ denotes an effective aperture of the first positive lens composing the third collective optical system, and

f₃ denotes a focal length of the first positive lens.

15. The illumination optical device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources as well as the plurality of first collective optical systems are arranged axisymmetrically with respect to a vertical line from an apex to a base of the isosceles triangle of the cross-sectional shape of the respective corresponding prisms as the first light combiner optical systems.

16. The illumination optical device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources, the plurality of first collective optical systems, the plurality of first light combiner optical systems, as well as the plurality of second collective optical systems are arranged axisymmetrically with respect to a vertical line from an apex to a base of the isosceles triangle of the cross-sectional shape of the corresponding prism as the second light combiner optical system.

17. The illumination optical device according to claim 1, comprising:

the four light sources and the four first collective optical systems; and

the two first light combiner optical systems and the two second collective optical systems,

wherein each of the two first light combiner optical systems synthesizes the exiting light beams from corresponding two of the light sources and the first collective optical systems,

the second light combiner optical system synthesizes the exiting light beams from the two first light combiner optical systems and the two second collective optical systems, and

optical axes corresponding to the four light sources that exit from the second light combiner optical system are located at respective four corners of a substantially square shape in cross section.

18. The illumination optical device according to claim 1, wherein each of the second collective optical systems is composed of a concave mirror whose reflecting surface has an anamorphic aspherical shape.

19. The illumination optical device according to claim 18, wherein a first focal length f_E1 and a second focal length f_E2 of an ellipsoid of each of the first collective optical systems satisfy a relationship expressed by the following Formula (1)

8≦

f_E2/f_E1≦

11 

 

(1).

20. The illumination optical device according to claim 18,

wherein the concave mirror as each of the second collective optical systems has a focal length that is changed continuously in each of a first cross-sectional shape on a plane including an optical axis of the incident light beam exiting from each of the first light combiner optical systems and an optical axis of the exiting light beam reflected by the concave mirror, and a second cross-sectional shape in a direction vertical to the first cross-sectional shape,

the first cross-sectional shape and the second cross-sectional shape are anamorphic aspherical shapes that are different from each other, and

the exiting light beam from each of the first light combiner optical systems is focused at a substantially one point by each of the second collective optical systems.

21. The illumination optical device according to claim 20, wherein the first cross-sectional shape of the concave mirror as each of the second collective optical systems satisfies the following Formula (6)

f_n=L_n(L₀−

L_n)/L₀ 

 

(6).

where f_n denotes a focal length at an arbitrary light incident point,

L_n denotes a distance for which an arbitrary light beam travels from a light exiting point of each of the first light combiner optical systems on an optical axis thereof to a light incident point on each of the second collective optical systems where the light beam is incident, the distance being in a direction parallel to the optical axis, and

L₀ denotes a total sum of the distance from the light exiting point of each of the first light combiner optical systems on the optical axis to the incident point on each of the second collective optical systems and a distance from an exiting point of each of the second collective optical systems to an incident point on the second light combiner optical system.

22. The illumination optical device according to claim 18, wherein the concave mirror has on its mirror surface a dielectric multilayer film formed of an alternating periodic layer of a low refractive index layer and a high refractive index layer, which has a property of allowing ultraviolet light and infrared light to pass therethrough and reflecting visible light.

23. The illumination optical device according to claim 22, wherein the low refractive index layer is a SiO₂ layer, and the high refractive index layer is a layer made of any one of TiO₂, Ta₂O₅, and Nb₂O₅ or a layer made of a mixture thereof.

24. The illumination optical device according to claim 20, wherein the concave mirror has a mirror substrate that is made of a glass material and is molded integrally with a holding structure.

25. The illumination optical device according to claim 18, wherein the third collective optical system is composed of a first positive lens, a first lens array, a second lens array, a second positive lens, and a third positive lens that are arranged in this order from a light incident side.

26. The illumination optical device according to claim 25, wherein the second lens array is composed of microlenses, each having a different aperture shape so as to allow images of all the plurality of light sources to be formed efficiently in accordance with a size of the image of each of the light sources at each position.

27. The illumination optical device according to claim 18, wherein

each of the prisms as the first light combiner optical systems and the second light combiner optical system has a dielectric multilayer mirror on a light incident surface, and

the dielectric multilayer mirror is formed of a multilayer film in which a SiO₂ layer as a low refractive index layer and a Ta₂O₅ layer or a layer of a mixture of Ta₂O₅ and TiO₂ as a high refractive index layer are laminated alternately.

28. The illumination optical device according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of light sources as well as the plurality of first collective optical systems are arranged axisymmetrically with respect to a vertical line from an apex to a base of the isosceles triangle of the cross-sectional shape of the respective corresponding prisms as the first light combiner optical systems.

29. The illumination optical device according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of light sources, the plurality of first collective optical systems, the plurality of first light combiner optical systems, as well as the plurality of second collective optical systems are arranged axisymmetrically with respect to a vertical line from an apex to a base of the isosceles triangle of the cross-sectional shape of the corresponding prism as the second light combiner optical system.

30. The illumination optical device according to claim 18, comprising:

the four light sources and the four first collective optical systems; and

the two first light combiner optical systems and the two second collective optical systems,

wherein each of the two first light combiner optical systems synthesizes the exiting light beams from corresponding two of the light sources and the first collective optical systems,

the second light combiner optical system synthesizes the exiting light beams from the two first light combiner optical systems and the two second collective optical systems, and

optical axes corresponding to the four light sources that exit from the second light combiner optical system are located at respective four corners of a substantially square shape in cross section.

31. A projection display device comprising:

an image forming device that modifies incident light to form an image;

an illumination optical device that illuminates the image forming device with light from light sources; and

a projection device that magnifies and projects an optical image formed on the image forming device,

wherein the illumination optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 30 is used as the illumination optical device.

32. The projection display device according to claim 31, wherein an optical axis of the light emitted from the plurality of light sources is orthogonal to an optical axis of the projection device.